It’s Time to Say Farewell and Hello

I can still remember the day in 2007 when I told my mother about my idea for this site.

She and I were chatting on the phone, and I said, “I get so many emails from moms who are looking for advice about bringing a product to market. I think I’m going to start a website, and call it ‘The Mogul Mom’.”

The site that I lovingly created to show mom entrepreneurs that they CAN run a business, raise a family, and rock both turned into a magical, wonderful, fulfilling part of my life’s work.

Over the years, I’ve had the honor of playing hostess to thousands of amazing mompreneurs from all over the world, and have been blessed to become friends with so many of you.

And then I read a book called App Empire, and felt that old, familiar entrepreneurial itch to start something new, a new business as an iOS app developer. As an entrepreneur to the core, I felt a strong pull to go in that new direction.

So, I began thinking of selling The Mogul Mom, and last summer, put it on the market with a friend of mine from college who is a business broker. I worked very closely with him to make sure we found just the right buyer.

After all, I couldn’t hand her over to just anyone.

It’s Time to Say Farewell and Hello

I’m pleased to say that I found the perfect new owner for The Mogul Mom, and today, I’d like to introduce you to her.

Her name is Megan Barnes, and she has a beautiful vision for The Mogul Mom’s future. Her energy, enthusiasm, and fresh perspective are exactly what I was looking for in my successor, and I am so thrilled for her…and The Mogul Mom.

Before turning things over to Megan, I’d like to finish by saying thank you to all of you who have made this site what it is today. Each and every one of you has played an important role in the success of The Mogul Mom. Readers, customers, members, contributors, guest writers, family, friends, and service and support folks.

I never could have accomplished any of this without you. I am so grateful for you.

Introducing…Megan!

First, a huge thank you to Heather, for all of her support in this transition, for entrusting The Mogul Mom to my charge, and for the lovely and generous introduction.

I will be working closely with Heather in the coming months, and as the visionary and founder of The Mogul Mom, hers will remain an enduring presence on the site. I know we all look forward to seeing where her journey takes her.

When I was trying to think what to share with you all in this introduction I remembered a greeting card I saw some time ago with a quote from a third-grader that said,

“When I grow up I want to be a heart surgeon. Or Elmo.”

And the Elmo part just killed me. I guess because I, like most grown-ups, tend to think that heart surgeons are very important people, and that Elmo….well, Elmo is just silly.

You see, I was on my way to being a heart surgeon, or some similarly qualified medical professional, when my life took an unexpected turn.

My four years in university were fraught with challenges (I got married, spent six months living in Africa, miscarried three pregnancies, and came down with spinal meningitis, five bouts of shingles, and countless other undiagnosed ailments), but I finished.

And then about one week after graduation and three days into my chemistry internship, I collapsed in the lab. I didn’t know it then, but that was the end of a season, the end of a cherished vision that I had held for my life.

That was two years ago. I have been leading a much slower, smaller, nesting sort of life in a lovely home in Jackson, MS. My days have been spent snuggling puppies, cooking healing foods, and engaging in a fearsome war with self, that sometimes took the form of introspection, other times despair, and finally a fragile acceptance of what is.

And the really cool part is, as I grew in acceptance I started to understand that this was going to be my best season yet. This was a chance to choose my life’s work, not based on its importance but on my passion.

This was my Elmo season.

Elmo and The Mogul Mom

I understand now that Elmo isn’t silly. Elmo is all about being happy, connected, fulfilled, laughing.

Elmo gives hope. I think that Elmo is meant to touch that place in each of us, that place that was capable of such intensity of feeling about our lives when we were small, that place that seems to dull in the storms of life.

Remember those afternoon daydreams? The ones where you were gonna grow up and do the most important thing you could think of? Where you were gonna remember the excitement of a sleepover with friends even when you were old (like 30!)? When you were gonna make the world a better place through your singular contribution?

I’ve been remembering those daydreams a lot lately, and I’ve made a series of decisions that I think would be kid-me approved. The first is to quit with all the excuses and face my fears of writing fiction. A desire to write creatively was one of the unexpected discoveries of this new season of my life, and it’s been the scariest thing I’ve ever tried to do.

The other, was The Mogul Mom.

For me, The Mogul Mom represents an opportunity to become the architect of my own future, after a long season of wondering if I would ever even have one. It presents an opportunity to grow and challenge myself, to help support my family, to cast a career vision and execute it–all within the flexible comfort of my own home, in spite of the limitations two chronic illnesses put upon me.

What’s more I get to be part of a process of empowering moms to cast and execute visions in their own lives…visions that have felt out of reach, visions that felt obscured by the busyness of motherhood and running a household. I get to stand with moms in the pursuit of a life where they can be a mom, run a business, and rock both!

My business, the business Heather dreamed and birthed and grew for six years, the business which has just been put in my charge, is a business of empowering, providing support, and bringing hope. I think Elmo would be proud.

So it is with great humility and gratitude (and a great big lap o’ puppy – my dog Gus, who has been severely ill with an ear infection for two days, has taken up a seemingly permanent residence on my lap, and Fergi is here too, supporting her big brother), that I take the reigns from Heather and join this circle of strong and amazing women, moms, entrepreneurs, and visionaries.

If you are reading this post, it means you are on your way or have taken steps to live your dreams, and for that I applaud you. It is my honor to be here and take part in The Mogul Mom community. I look forward to getting to know all of you and working alongside you.

Finally, I’d like to introduce my husband, Terrence, who is my rock and without whose support I could not possibly do something as big as this. T and I will be working closely together on The Mogul Mom, and he has a wealth of passion, entrepreneurial experience, technological knowledge, and vision to bring to the table.

We are both so eager to meet all of you and to go on this entrepreneurial journey together.

It’s your turn to say farewell and hello. We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

59 Comments

Thank you so much for all your help, inspiration and information. You surely have assisted in helping me start my Mogul Mom Journey!! Best wishes on your new endeavor, I’m sure you are going to rock it!

Megan,

Huge Welcome!! Looking forward to reading all you and your hubby have to give. 🙂

Hi, Meg! I am elated that you have made Elmo’s acquaintance, or rediscovered him. But I disagree that you had an Elmo season – I am confident that your Elmo side will remain a big part of who you are. Unlike most of Heather’s loyal Moguls, I have been with you through thick and thin, and I know what a strong, caring, passionate, determined, enthusiastic, and driven person you are. Heather, I don’t know if you fully comprehend the creative energy you have unleashed as you turn Mogul Moms over to this bright young lady – thank you for giving my daughter this opportunity! I believe your Moguls will be delighted to partner with her, and be part of the next chapter as you hand off the torch. May you be blessed, Heather, in your new endeavor. And Meg, I am so happy for you! I can’t wait to watch you dive in and charge ahead! As you have with so many other challenges in your life, you will succeed,regardless of any obstacles you encounter. I will be your cheer leader,. and be there for you in any way I can. I love you!

Hi Ken! I’m learning your daughter’s brilliance more each day as I work with her on the transition. I feel so at peace with Megan at the helm now, and I know The Mogul Mom and her loyal moguls are in wonderful hands. Thank you so much for your kind words. Bless you in your endeavors, too! 🙂

Dad, Thank YOU! You have supported me and inspired me in so many ways. I don’t think you could even know how much you have done to help me become the person I am and you continue to inspire me to press on. And I have you to thank for imparting to me an entrepreneurial spirit. All I know about business I learned from you. Thank you for posting on the site today – I am deeply touched and so encouraged. Love you so much!

Heather,
What a wise woman you are to start such an amazing business that helps so many people. And now I am so excited that you have placed the business in Megan’s care! I have know Megan my whole life and you could not have chosen a better woman to move your dream forward. She is such a beautiful person and will go above and beyond.

Megs, so proud of you and T! And you will truly continue to be an inspiration to many others as they move forward persuing their dreams and getting the help they need as they do that!

Goodbye Heather. Thank you so much for creating Mogul Mom. Although I don’t sell anything except my time, I have learned a lot from you. The biggest impact was your idea of having a logo. I created one, my husband lined it up perfectly using Microsoft Publisher, and for 2+ years it has been on my business cards, website, door sign, etc. I am the only Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in this area with a logo. 🙂

Megan I can,t imagine a better person to be in the business of empowering, providing support and bringing hope, than You, my Precious Daughter! From where I stand, you’ve been in that business already for a very long time! You have brought Elmo into my life and many others. I am so excited that you have this opportunity to share him with so many more here through the Mogul Mom! You and Terrence are individually and together Amazingly kind, loving and beautiful people who I believe will contribute richly to many life’s through this site! I couldn’t be prouder of you and I love you so much! I wish you enormous joy on your journey! Heather, I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about you, I look forward to getting to know you. I wish you the very best on your new venture!

Thank you so much, Julie! I’m guessing the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, here. 😉 Your daughter is so lovely and I am so grateful that our paths crossed. Her introduction/story in this post brought me to tears. I couldn’t have hoped for a better successor. Cheers to you!

Aww…Thank you Heather! You created a terrific site, one with much heart and I too am thankful your paths crossed for I know Megan and Terrence also have the heart, creativity and compassion to continue growing the work you so well started!

Aw, Thanks Mom! Everyone, this is my beautiful mom to whom I’m so grateful and of whom I’m so proud….Thank you, Mom for your unwavering support. You are my single greatest inspiration for taking on The Mogul Mom. I can’t wait to see you rocking your own business. Love you so much.

Heather thank you for all you’ve done with TMM and I think it’s terrific that you are pursuing new business ventures – no doubt we’ll continue to learn from you.

Megan welcome and thank you for kicking off with your inspiring story. As a therapist, and in life generally, I have come to see that people who have been struck by illness often go on to live the healthiest lives!

Congrats to all of you – Megan, Terrance, and Heather! To Megan: one of my favorite things about being a woman entrepreneur is that we have seasons where we can regroup/change/start afresh. I’ve restarted four times as my husband’s career took us around the country. And recently, I started a new biz, just to see if I could fulfill this long passion. I’m so excited to learn about your writing journey, too. Heather: you continue, by taking your new leap, you inspire us to grow and experiment and push forward. What an amazing community you birthed and nurtured! Terrance: eager to learn about your background and interests, too. Much success to all 🙂

Thank you, Ellen! This is definitely a season of starting afresh. I am scared silly and so excited. I will definitely share with you all as things happen on the writing front. This gang knows how to bring support!

What a beautiful introduction! Welcome Megan! Awesome Ladies, doing extraordinary things! Heather, looking forward to your updates and can’t wait to see what the future hold for you. Megan, let us know if you need just about anything :). Godspeed!

Megan is an amazing woman. I am lucky enough to call her my best friend. She has so much to contribute and the members of this site are very lucky to have “Elmo” as the leader. I look forward to following her journey here! Congratulations Megan and Terrence!

Megan, I really connected with what you said about Elmo. When I first started college the plan was to attend law school and then of course, become a lawyer. But while I was in school my life took a different direction. Now here I am, the owner of my own business. While it’s been scary, it definitely feels like I’ve finally chosen something that I want to do and not just something I should do.

Heather, I admire you for being able to walk away and follow your dreams. Recently we (my business partner/twin sister and I) decided to do a rebrand of our company. It was hard work but in the end, we did it because we knew that it was the right direction for our company and for us.

Thanks for the guidance and help, Heather!! Welcome, Megan!! I live in Alma, CO and I have relied upon Mogul Mom to help fill in some of my mental gaps as I put the pieces together (no pun intended) for an upcoming innovative swimwear line, ultimate goal being to dump the day job and focus on my family and business. I look forward to continuing to glean some bits and pieces from Mogul Mom as I move along in my personal (and frightening!) journey.

It looks like we’ll be taking our frightening journeys together. Stay tuned…week after next we are rolling out a series of posts on Getting Started. Hopefully these will help anchor you and propel you forward. I applaud you. Thanks for sharing!

Welcome Megan. And Terrence. I feel so honored that you shared the journey that took you here to The Mogul Mom. You are an incredible writer. I am so moved by your words. And I so look forward to spending more time on your pages-here and with your fiction. Heather and The Mogul Mom community have been such an important and cherished part of my own entrepreneurial vision and experience. So excited to see what Heather comes up with next and so looking forward to seeing The Mogul Mom’s next chapter unfold!

Laura & Heather – you both are too kind. Thank you for your encouragement.
Laura, it has already been a pleasure working with you, and I too look forward to spending more time on our pages…And I can’t wait to watch in Heather in action on her next endeavor – She is an incredible woman!(last night, when I was emailing back in forth with Heather, T looked up and said, “Heather is lovely. How did we get so lucky?” I couldn’t have said it better myself:)

Welcome Megan! It sounds like you’ve been on such an amazing journey of self-discovery and acceptance. I know that your journey mirrors many of the moms reading this column so I’m sure your voice will be a lovely addition and that you’ll take TMM to places we never dreamed!

Heather babe – you rock and always will no matter where your path takes you. Thanks for making me part of an amazing community and I can’t wait to see what you create next.

Thank you, Jo, for your encouragement–and it was so elegantly said, too. I’m sure there are many mirror experiences between us. I look forward to sharing and hearing from our Mogul Moms and experiencing strength in solidarity.